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September 1

The Top Benefits of Virtual Design Assistant Services for Interior Designers and Kitchen/Bath Remodel Professionals

Outsourcing is not only about saving time, it is about protecting financial resources and having a team to support and augment your “Client Experience”.  Here are 4 reasons why you should outsource.

Time Savings
If you have been in business for any amount of time, you know “busy work” is time-consuming.  When you think of the work involved in researching materials, ordering samples, back and forth emails or phone calls with vendors for pricing, ordering, paying and tracking materials, scheduling deliveries, ordering replacement materials and tracking those replacements, the mind and body go into a frenzy of anxiety and stress.

Not to mention, social media platforms that need updating, tending and interaction.  Oh, and let us not forget the portfolio on the website needs to be updated with pictures of completed projects.  And what about invoicing?  Who will invoice the clients for on-time payments?  Email is out of control and who knows how many important emails are falling through the cracks because of it.

A Virtual Design Assistant can support the business by taking on those tasks.  Your remote assistant focuses on this “busy work”, while you gain back time, energy, peace and sanity.

Industry Experience
The experience a virtual design assistant brings to the table is priceless.  It not only involves industry experience but, in some cases, it includes corporate experience.  This means methodical, dedicated and outside-the-box thinking.  A virtual design assistant will have processes in place that will enhance, not take away from, your business.  The experience in the industry is a huge benefit when considering that this assistant will be organizing and cleaning your email inbox, researching material sources, speaking with vendors about tile or cabinets or plumbing fixtures and handling your social media.

Someone with no knowledge or experience in the design or kitchen and bath industries will hinder your business.  How many more missed emails will you have?  How many questions will they have about what type of tile to source?  Will they know the difference between framed and frameless cabinets, slab fronts or 5-piece fronts?  Will they miss the fact that a shower valve needs to be ordered separate from the trim pieces?  Again, industry knowledge and experience counts.

Protecting Financial Resources
As the business owner, you must consider where your financial resources are going, day in and day out.  Income and expenses.  Assets and Liabilities.  So, how does a Virtual Design Assistant protect your financial resources?  You do not have the extra operating costs from providing an office space, a desk, and tools to complete the job.  This Entrepreneur article noted that business owners save an estimated 78% on operating costs when working with a virtual assistant!  Why, you ask?  Because a Virtual Design Assistant’s work is all done remotely, from their home and only paying for time spent working on projects. 

Of note, a Virtual Design Assistant is an Independent Contractor.  Meaning, you do not provide benefits or pay federal, state, or local taxes.  According to this article from Nolo, a business spends anywhere between 20%-30% on payroll expenses for traditional W-2 employees!!  Consider what this added revenue means for your business.  Not to mention, by outsourcing the “busy work”, you are earning more income because you are working less and focusing on the work that brings you meaning and are passionate about.

Client Experience
This all now brings us to the Client Experience.  These are buzz words in the industry but also in the corporate world.  This became a real issue a few years ago because companies realized their customers were going elsewhere for products and services.  They acknowledged that to keep existing customers and bring in new ones, changes had to be made.  The home improvement giants made changes to internal processes, company “culture”, store appearances, employee engagement and staffing, in an effort to affect the “customer experience”.

In this manner, a virtual design assistant affects your “client experience”.  Their experience not only saves you time and resources, but it allows you the opportunity to revisit those front-end, client-facing processes that have fallen by the wayside.  This is the opportunity to put yourself in the client’s shoes and experience your design and project managing processes for yourself.  At the end of the day, you want your clients to enjoy seamless, uneventful (well, as much as possible) projects.  Because these clients will provide raving testimonials and bring you referrals and new work.  This is the only path to growth and more revenue.

The goal of a Virtual Design Assistant is, ultimately, to support the business owner with their goals, dreams, and aspirations, and to support them in getting back to what they truly love: designing and remodeling beautiful spaces for their clients.  What would you be able to accomplish with as little as 10 extra hours per month and more revenue going back into your business?  Want to know more about virtual design assistant services?  Contact Erica Graham Consulting to schedule a discovery call.  Their services can make your business less stressful and more productive.


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